Currently, when there is an interruption in the power supply to a vehicle or a device connected to the vehicle, many of the on-board devices of the vehicle or the circuitry in the device connected to the vehicle can be affected. This is especially important with regard to logic circuits or other memory type devices on a communication device that require an uninterrupted power supply in order to maintain either the data in the memory, the settings in the system, power to accommodate communication between a computing device connected to the vehicle, or the like.
For example, when the primary power supply is reduced or shutoff, the settings and data in memory can be lost, especially if it is a random access memory, which requires a constant power supply to maintain settings and data. Therefore, when there is a power loss, the memory unit loses all the information.
Circuitry within a communication device accommodating connection between a diagnostic tool or a personal computer connected to a vehicle or the circuitry within the vehicle that draws power from the main power is reliant on the main power. A backup power system can be added to a device, however, this increases the cost and there are issues with the size and replacement of the backup power and the time it takes to charge the backup power. Further, if the device or circuits that need the backup power are small, then it is difficult to provide the backup power within the housing of the device or circuits.
Further, there is the issue of maintaining the proper power supply to the circuits and logic circuits as the power supply must be maintained at a certain level so that the logic circuits are not damaged. It is critical that the supply does not vary much from the parameters of the circuits, because the logic circuits are very sensitive to the power that is provided.
Interruption of the power supply can be catastrophic as there can be loss of data and even the malfunctioning of an electrical device, because the power has been interrupted, even if it is for a short period of time. As mentioned above, the loss of power can reset the device, which may cause problems if certain customized settings were used. Specifically, there can be major data loss, including data collected over a long period of time, which can cause major delays and problems in rectifying the situation.
A number of prior approaches to address the above noted needs have utilized capacitors as secondary power sources. However, the use of capacitors as secondary power sources can present a number of problems as the capacitors have highly fluctuating output voltages. In this regard, as the prior art approaches drop in voltage output, the result is that the secondary power sources internally determine that the one or more capacitors of the secondary power source have now been expended. The secondary power source may then take the appropriate steps to shut down only to secondarily and incorrectly determine that the power source is not expended due to a voltage increase from the now unloaded capacitor. However, the secondary power source will provide a load to the capacitors, the voltage will drop significantly, and again the power source will internally determine that the capacitors have been expended and will again start the shutdown process. This cycle of shutting down and erroneously restarting the secondary power source can typically repeat many times affecting the longevity of the secondary power source.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an electrical energy storage unit and charger as a secondary power with a processing device to avoid repeated shutdown and restarting processes to increase longevity.